Las Vegas employers added thousands of jobs last month, according to a new report that says Nevada’s labor market is on “solid footing.”
Employment in the Las Vegas-area increased by 3,000 jobs from May to June, a 0.3 percent bump, and by 25,600 jobs over the past year, a 2.2 percent gain, according to a report released Thursday by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, citing seasonally adjusted data.
Statewide, the all-important leisure and hospitality sector gained 1,700 jobs, while education and health services added 700, DETR reported.
At the same time, the trade, transportation and utilities sector lost 800 jobs in Nevada, and professional and business services shed 700.
The Las Vegas Valley accounts for the bulk of Nevada’s population.
Over the past year, Nevada employers added jobs “at a brisk pace,” and the state’s labor market “remained on a solid footing in June,” DETR Chief Economist David Schmidt said in a news release.
Tourism levels
Southern Nevada relies heavily on visitors traveling here to spend big eating, drinking, gambling, partying and going to shows and conventions to fuel the local economy. Locally and nationally, however, personal finances have been squeezed this year by higher gas prices and rising inflation.
Around 16.5 million people visited America’s casino capital this year through May, up 0.3 percent, or an increase of 46,300 people, from the same five-month stretch last year, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
Still, that’s a big improvement from 2025, when people cut back on Vegas vacations amid a series of financial headwinds and as President Donald Trump’s trade wars sparked widespread economy anxiety.
Around 38.5 million people visited Las Vegas last year, down 7.5 percent — or a drop of more than 3 million people — from 2024, according to LVCVA data.
Las Vegas’ jobless rate in May, 5.3 percent, was third highest in the nation among large metro areas, and Nevada’s unemployment rate that month, 5.2 percent, was tied for third highest, according to federal data.
Still, Nevada’s pace of employment growth over the past year led the country, rising 1.85 percent year-to-year in May, DETR reported Thursday.
‘Vulnerable to economic disruption’
Officials have long sought to diversify Las Vegas’ casino-heavy employer base to help the region — which has a track record of booms and busts — better withstand economic downturns.
The Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, for instance, released its three-year strategic plan last month. In the 32-page document, it describes how it aims to reduce Southern Nevada’s dependence on tourism by boosting the share of higher-wage sectors.
Its plan includes industry recruitment, stronger connections with brokers and site selectors, and increased support for existing businesses.
“At its core, the strategy recognizes that Southern Nevada’s economy remains heavily concentrated in leisure and hospitality, leaving the region vulnerable to economic disruption and limiting long-term wage growth and resilience,” the document says.
Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342.
